


Ranunculus

by queervulcan



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Child Abuse, F/M, Gen, so expect many more characters, tags will be added as story goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 04:15:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5953282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queervulcan/pseuds/queervulcan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chara just wanted to sleep and never wake up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall

It had started when they were born, though they didn't notice until they were six.

Six was the year the village children first shoved them down a well, calling them names as they fell down, down, until they hit the bottom with a thud and a groan. The village children had called them names like " _Freak_ " and " _Demon_."

At the bottom were weeds, and Chara took comfort in the knowledge that even some plants could grow in a harsh and dark place like this. That despite everything, they grew.

* * *

When Chara was eight, their mother sat them down in front of her vanity mirror. She piled laces and ribbons onto Chara's paper thin skin, and shoved their body out of their dirty sweater and knee high boots and into a corset and matching skirt.

It made Chara want to vomit.

Their mother had forced Chara to wear makeup, and no matter how much they wriggled and begged no, no, please _no_ , nobody listened.

Chara had been held down in the vanity chair by their mother's hands on their shoulders, with their mother and father laughing behind them, chanting ' _demon_ ' like it was their new name, or the one they had all along.

They were starting to believe it was.

* * *

When they were ten, they held a knife in self defense for the first time.

It was also the last time Chara had seen the yellow flowers in their village while alive.

Chara had come home from school, aching from yesterday's beating, and had dragged themselves to the kitchen to begin cooking for their lazy parents. As they were cooking with grease, Chara could hear the front door open with a quiet click. They held their breathe, hoping to god that it was their mother and not their drunken father.

Chara didn't have much luck.

Chara's father stumbled into the kitchen, and gave a crooked grin at seeing Chara standing there like a deer in headlights. They stumbled up to them, and clapped a heavy hand on Chara's shoulder. Their father leaned down, and whispered into their ear.

"Just wait until ya mother 's home, ya little _demon_."

Chara's knees started trembling, and they hated it. They gripped the extra pan they were planning to use until their knuckles turned white.

Their father took notice, for he gave a throaty chuckle, "Ohoho, would ya look a' that? The little freak is scared." He crooned in a babyish voice, "I'll give ya somethin' to be scared about!"

Before Chara could swing the pan, their father had them by their throat, and they let the pan fall to the dirty linoleum with a loud clang. It kind of felt like their heart had followed, too. Their father had them against the stove, and was giving them a toothy grin, before the oil in the still warm pan on the fire popped, and the residue hit Chara's arm.

They pulled away with a garbled hiss, and their father looked down. Chara could see the moment the idea to burn them popped into their fathers' head, reflected in their eyes with a gleam. As their father was grabbing the pan with his free hand, Chara groped around for the knife they had been using earlier to chop the chicken. It still had bits left stuck on, but Chara could care less.

They swung their arm out in front of them, and felt satisfied as their father let out a yell of pain. Unfortunately for Chara, the pan of grease their father had been holding clacked down, and instead of splashing to the floor like their father's blood, it hit their left arm.

Chara wanted to scream as what felt like hornets attacked their skin at once. Instead, they gritted their teeth and blinked their watering eyes, and swung the knife again. This time, they hit their fathers chest. Their work clothes were thin enough to where a thin gash could be created, just enough to sluggishly bleed.

Their father stumbled and fell back, the pain quickly sobering him up. Before they could get up, Chara jumped on his stomach, and wrapped their legs around his torso so he couldn't escape.

A red haze covered Chara's eyesight, and when they came back to themselves, it was to their mother screaming. Chara dully listened to their mother calling her names again, and wondered if fishes gasped and wriggled just like their father was now.

The thought made them want to throw up.

Instead, they scrambled up and ran away.

* * *

It was nearing morning when Chara stopped stumbling through the first place they could think of: the forest. It was dark, and the crickets chirped loudly. There were cicadas somewhere, and Chara couldn't be bothered to care. In their hand was the now dry knife, and their knuckles were white and sore from gripping it so hard for so long. They were afraid if they let go, they would too. Their hair and clothing were matted a dull brown, almost the same ugly brown as their oversized t-shirt.

So far, they hadn't heard any dogs or humans, so Chara figured they had a good while before a search party was sent out for their head. They wondered what happened to their mother.

Half of Chara wanted to sit down under a tree and finish the job that their parents had started, to speed up the game of life and death and fate.

In their blind stumbling, they didn't see the cave opening until it was too late and they were stumbling over a protruding vine. Chara wondered if this was the gods and goddesses revenge for killing their own father, and then figured at least this death would be quick.


	2. Ashes, Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pocket full of posies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks cryingjay, for letting me use your injured Chara as inspiration

When Chara first woke up, their sense recovered slowly. First, it was touch. They could feel the scratchiness of the heavy woolen blanket laid over their body. There was a weird feeling on their body, too. Like a current was running over their skin, soft and warm and homey. It was heavier than the blanket, but it wasn't oppressive.

It made Chara want to weep.

Instead, they let themselves fall back into sleep.

* * *

When Chara next jolted awake, they instantly regretted it. Because they had woken up so suddenly, it left them with a headache. They peeled their sore and bruised eyes open, and gathered the blue blanket that had been laid over them closer to their chest. Looking down, Chara could see clothes that weren't there's, but were tailored to fit comfortably.

Chara's throat and body hurt, and when they tried opening their mouth, the sound of something withering and dying came out instead. They coughed and hacked, doubled over in pain, until their eyes were watering.

Chara could hear the door open slowly, and when they glanced up they nearly screamed at seeing the goat monster. Their ingrained impulses from life came to them secondhand, and they pushed themselves closer to the headboard. They gathered the blanket closer to their chest, and curled into themselves.

The man- monster- held their paws up in a placating manner, and Chara took in their heavy armor and the way he was holding his body loosely. Every part of Chara's brain was screaming at them to scream, to cry, to run away from this man. He was bigger than their father. They could be crushed like a toothpick.

But Chara's body refused.

Instead, they sat curled where they landed when they panicked, and shook under the blankets. Chara couldn't imagine how they must look. Dirty, vulnerable, childish. With a gasp, they averted their eyes.

The monster rumbled a low chuckle that Chara could feel in their chest, and their soul wobbled with it. "[Would you like a cup of tea](http://cryingjay.tumblr.com/post/136458501340/narrachara-hc-that-would-you-like-a-cup-of)?" The monster came closer, but this time, Chara could see a cart that his body had been hiding. Chara expected to see medical instruments, but instead it was a fancy china teapot with matching cups.

The monster sat on the edge of the bed, and Chara shivered away. Their cracked lips opened in a plea, "P-p-please... Please, don't... Don't hurt me. _Please_."

Instead, the monster smiled gently at them, and turned around to pull the cart closer to the bed. Chara watched as he poured a yellow tea from a large, pink teapot into teacups the size of Chara's two hands together. It looked like the saucers were as big as Chara's head.

The monster turned back towards Chara, and Chara's first instinct was to press back further, but they jostled their broken leg and instead tears pricked their eyes and they released a hiss through their clenched teeth.

The monster looked concerned, or at least Chara thought so. They couldn't tell behind all the fur.

The monster looked to be visibly restraining himself, and they handed over the teacup without having to touch Chara's lower body. Which they were grateful for.

The monster's eyes crinkled in happiness as Chara took the teacup and sniffed it. A puzzled look crossed their face, and the monster answered before they could open their mouth.

"It is my favorite golden flower tea. It is made from the flowers back at the garden in my home."

Chara took a sip, and blushed as warmth spread through their joints and muscles. It even felt as if something tight had unwound itself from the base of their neck. Chara eyeballed their tea and then the monster's, who was taking serene sips and humming to himself.

"Are you calmer now?"

Chara jumped at the sudden question in the still room, and nodded frantically, clutching at their teacup until their knuckles turned white.

The monster hummed before setting the teacup on his clothed leg.

"May I ask what your name is?"

"I-It's Chara." They whispered, voice a croak.

"Chara. What a lovely name. Mine is Asgore, my wife's name is Toriel, and our son is Asriel. You're about the same age, I'd say. He's going to be eleven soon."

"I just turned ten." Chara was gaining a bit more confidence, and was taking turns in blatantly staring at the monster- at Asgore, they chided themselves- but he didn't seem to mind.

"Mon- Asgore, what... Where am I? Where is this? What..."

Asgore held up a large paw, and gestured at Chara's tea. Without realizing it, in their panic, they had started hyperventilating. They did as ordered and took a big gulp of now lukewarm tea. The same fuzzy, pop rocks feeling shot through their body and down to their toes.

"Many, many years ago, the humans and monsters had a war, and the humans won. Long story short, they locked us under ground with a spell, and since then we have been trapped under here. A week ago, my son found you at the entrance of the mountain on a bed of flowers, so he took you home and my wife and I brought you back here for better medical care-"

"Wait! I can't pay for this! I-I..." Chara trailed off at Asgore's raised eyebrow at being cutting off.

"As I was saying, we brought you here for better medical care, as my wife could only heal minor bruises and cuts. Our royal scientist is much better equipped for these kind of problems than we could be."

Chara took a sip of their tea, and marveled at how it was warm again. They shot a glance at Asgore, but he was just stirring more sugar into his tea.

"When can I leave?"

"I imagine once you can walk properly on your leg, Doctor Gaster _may_ allow you to come home with us."

"Go... What? What are you talking about?" Chara's voice was starting to sound croaky again, and they recognized the familiar itchiness in the back of their throat when they strain their voice box, but they needed answers, and right now.

"Why, go home with my wife and I! You could be Asriel's sibling, if you wanted. If you do not want that, we can find another home for you."

"But... Why?" Chara was flabbergasted.

Asgore's face softened, "My child, our children are the most important thing to us. To anyone here. The king and queen can only have so many children of their own blood. Children are rare and scarce, and a family is lucky to have even one. We would be delighted to have another child in our home."

With that, Asgore got up with a grunt, and Chara had to hide a smile at their knees popping. Apparently, some things didn't change no matter where they were. And old bodies made themselves known the same way.

"Please let me come home already." Chara looked up at Asgore with puppy dog eyes, and Chara took delight at Asgore showing how he had to physically stop himself from giving into their demands.

"Now, now. You do not want Doctor Gaster to be cross with us, do you?"

Chara pouted, and once again Asgore had to stop himself from being wrapped around their pinky finger. Though they both knew it was a losing battle, for eventually Asgore would be submitting to Chara's whim, just like he did for his son.

Asgore reached out a hand, and Chara couldn't help the flinch. They flushed in embarrassment as instead of saying anything, Asgore just took the teacup that looked like normal size in their hands.

"I will come back tomorrow with more tea and some monster history books. In the mean time, the doctor should be stopping by soon to check your injuries. Be a good child, will you not?"

Chara nodded sullenly, and laid back down, bringing the sheets up to their chin.

As they were dozing off from exhaustion at keeping themselves upright and tense for so long, they missed the lights being shut off and them being tucked in. They missed the paw that smoothed their bangs out of their sweaty and grimy face.

They missed Asgore's sad, soft smile, and their wishes for sweet dreams.


End file.
